Sudden cardiac arrest claims the lives of more than 350,000 people in the United States each year and more than 80 percent of those deaths occur at home. In recent years, the national guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have changed, eliminating the requirement that mouth-to-mouth be performed in addition to chest compressions.

In 2012, Providence cardiologist Dr. Andrew Boulet used the hands-only version of the “new” CPR to revive his wife, nephrologist Dr. Katherine Tuttle. On the morning of Dr. Tuttle’s collapse, Dr. Boulet performed CPR on his wife for 20 minutes while waiting for paramedics to meet him near their home outside Spokane.

“I knew the CPR guidelines had changed, and I was thinking that they better be right,” Dr. Boulet shared in a story about his wife’s experience. Dr. Tuttle not only survived the cardiac arrest but recovered completely, thanks to his persistent efforts to deliver the compressions until paramedics arrived with the defibrillator.

“We want to ensure that every potential cardiac arrest victim gets the same immediate response that Dr. Tuttle received,” says Dr. Braden Batkoff of the Providence Spokane Heart Institute. “That’s why Providence is proud to partner with AMR and the Heart Rescue Project, along with Gonzaga University, to offer free CPR training to the public. You never know when a loved one or friend – or a complete stranger – may need that life-saving act.”

Regarding her husband’s prompt CPR, Dr. Tuttle says, “It’s great that he’s a cardiologist, but anyone can learn CPR and basic life support. You don’t have to be a doctor to save someone’s life.”

To register for the free hands-only CPR training, visit www.phc.org. For more information, contact Mary Joan Hahn, director of public and community relations at Gonzaga, at (509) 313-6095 or via email.